user
Tell me how would you respond to the following request.
Describe the different stages in the software development lifecycle.

assistant
The software development lifecycle consists of five stages: planning, requirements gathering and analysis, design, implementation and testing, and deployment. The planning phase begins with an analysis of the business case, user needs and budget allocation. The requirements gathering and analysis phase is where the goals and requirements of the project are identified. The design phase is where the software is designed based on the requirements of the project. The implementation and testing phase involves the programming of the software, unit and system-level testing, and the integration of various components. The final phase, deployment, involves the installation and setup of the software.